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Zawya
5 days ago
- Zawya
RESPECT Unveiled: Makes it Easy for EdTech Stakeholders to Embrace African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa's Development's (AUDA-NEPAD) Africa EdTech 2030 Vision
RESPECT ™ ( a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for Education, was announced today during the STEMtastic Adventures! Africa symposium. RESPECT was developed by the Spix Foundation to make it easy for Africa's EdTech stakeholders to embrace AUDA NEPAD's Africa EdTech 2030 Vision and Plan ( announced earlier this month. AUDA NEPAD's Vision proposes that, by 2030, "every African student should have access to the world's best interactive digital courseware—developed in Africa by Africans—on smartphones already present in their pockets, households, and/or schools". With today's release of RESPECT Version 1, Africa has gained a multi-year head start over the rest of the world. The United Nations has only this year started talking seriously about the need for a DPI for Education ( Africa has already released it. Africa is already ahead. To accomplish the Vision, Africa need only leverage its new advantage to the hilt. Speaking at the launch, John Kimotho, EdTech Consultant, Spix Foundation and Head of RESPECT Africa Office, said: 'Much of EdTech is pilot-driven and disconnected from education systems, leaving developers without clear growth pathways and teachers with tools that don't last. RESPECT makes it easy for policymakers, educators, and developers, to build solutions that align with real classroom needs and can grow and last.' The launch coincides with AUDA-NEPAD's release of sobering statistics ( only 40% of African primary schools have internet access, an estimated 30 million primary-age children remain out of school, and the continent will need 17 million additional teachers by 2030 just to maintain universal access. Meanwhile, billions in education technology investment have resulted in fragmented, unsustainable pilot projects rather than scalable solutions. 'Africa has a unique opportunity to simultaneously drive access to free localised edtech solutions that can reach all parts of the education ecosystem, even those offline, while making it profitable and sustainable to develop the world's best interactive digital courseware, right here in Africa;' said John Kimotho. 'The system has been failing the innovators, not the other way around, and RESPECT makes it easy for those innovators to deliver the education technology solutions that Africa's children need.' The scale of market fragmentation Recent analysis by the mEducation Alliance ( revealed that developers must navigate different rules, requirements, and procurement protocols in nearly every African country, resulting in what researchers term "small-batch deployment" – a Kenya pilot here, a Senegal district project there, with each requiring complete retooling. The consequence is a paradox: whilst Africa has produced world-class educational technology – from Kenya's classroom management systems to Senegal's Wolof-language XamXam platform serving 1.2 million users – these innovations remain largely isolated within their countries of origin. "Teachers are experiencing 'tool fatigue' from juggling multiple siloed applications with no central access or data integration," notes the mEducation Alliance's 2024 report on digital courseware in low- and middle-income countries. "This discourages adoption, even when individual apps are excellent." Key problems – and solutions AUDA NEPAD's Vision and Plan notes two key problems: (1) the lack of real-time, reliable data about what digital courseware works best for different learners, and (2) barriers to scale including policy, commercial, and technological obstacles. "AUDA-NEPAD observes that if Africa solves these two problems—by making it easy for courseware to generate real-time data for ranking and research, and by lowering policy, technical, and commercial barriers—then market forces will do the rest," according to the Vision and Plan. All RESPECT Compatible™ apps send data on every learner-app interaction to the relevant authority – within the bounds of the jurisdiction's data privacy, security, and sovereignty laws – enabling that authority to implement data-dependent techniques such as Teaching at the Right Level and Structured Pedagogy. This data, federated at the continental level, enables courseware ranking and research. RESPECT lowers the aforementioned policy barriers by implementing AUDA-NEPAD's new Policy Framework for Standards-Based, Vendor-Neutral EdTech, a draft of which was released for public comment today. RESPECT lowers the technical barriers through the implementation of a range of on-device technologies from data compression, web caching, proxy servers, and mesh networking to make it easy for courseware app developers to write a single app that works online, offline, and intermittently online. Likewise, it has early support for systematic text localization and, eventually, curriculum standards mapping, that are expected to provide easy technological fixes for complex scaling problems. Also, RESPECT enforces interoperability through internationally-standardized APIs such as xAPI, OneRoster, and OAuth. RESPECT lowers the commercial barriers by providing all RESPECT Compatible ™ apps for free to all students and intermediaries, while paying the developers and localizers of said apps based on those apps' usage (and later, impact). RESPECT' s revenue, derived from sponsorships, will go primarily to these developers and localizers. Think of it as 'YouTube meets PBS Kids' ( for EdTech apps. Looking ahead "The opportunity is historic, but time is short," concluded Kimotho. "We need to stop lamenting the barriers and start dismantling them systematically." Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Practice Ltd. Note to editors: RESPECT and RESPECT Compatible are trademarks of the Spix Foundation. RESPECT: Full African EdTech 2030: Vision&Plan: mEducation Alliance Report - Leading Perspectives on the State of Digital Courseware in Low Resource Countries: For interviews, please contact: Joslyne Muthoni Africa Practice jmuthoni@ Follow RESPECT: Website: LinkedIn: About RESPECT: RESPECT is an open source digital library for EdTech apps. It makes it easier for educators to discover and use high-quality apps in all settings, while giving developers the platform they need to grow their impact globally. RESPECT sets strong interoperable technical standards, while enabling developers to monetise their tools through a simple sponsor supported revenue model. What RESPECT offers: By aligning incentives across policy, pedagogy, and technology, RESPECT makes it easier to access, build, scale and sustain resilient edtech innovations. At its core, RESPECT connects the needs of developers and educators, supporting high quality, locally contextualised tools that reflect real classroom conditions and align with local languages and curriculum goals. It's about building EdTech that lasts, where it matters most. About AUDA-NEPAD: The African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD) is the continental development agency of the African Union, established to coordinate and execute priority regional and continental development projects to promote regional integration towards the accelerated achievement of Agenda 2063. Full African EdTech 2030: Vision&Plan: About STEMtastic Adventures! Africa: STEMtastic Adventures! Africa is hosted by the Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) from July 22-25, 2025, bringing together leading thinkers, activists, and implementers to advance STEM education across the continent. mEducation Alliance Report - Leading Perspectives on the State of Digital Courseware in Low Resource Countries:
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Auda's past plans erode Ahmedabad's urban lakes
Ahmedabad: Several ponds and lakes across the city have witnessed a significant reduction in their land area due to past Town Planning (TP) schemes drafted by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA)—despite state govt policy prohibiting such reductions, sources have revealed. Areas such as Thaltej, Bopal, Memnagar, Vastrapur, and Charodi—once under AUDA's jurisdiction—have recorded shrinking lake and pond areas after being integrated into the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) limits. According to official sources, AUDA's TP scheme drafts—originally prepared for village lands that were later merged into the city—reduced the designated land for several water bodies. In at least five cases, the final plot area allotted for ponds was smaller than the original, leading to long-term disputes and stalled development. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad For instance, in Bopal, AUDA's TP Scheme No. 2 shows the village lake's original area as 46,438 sq m, but the final plot was reduced to 44,432 sq m. Similarly, in Vastrapur TP Scheme No. 1, the pond—developed by AUDA nearly two decades ago—was originally allocated 73,957 sq m, but the final plot was only 51,761 sq m. In Thaltej, the situation is more complex. AUDA's TP Scheme No. 38 combined four original plots—three containing ponds and one with village land—into a single final plot. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo While the total original area was 1,54,692 sq m, the final plot was reduced to 1,12,642 sq m. This has led to disputes over the exact size and boundaries of the Thaltej pond. The AMC has not yet taken possession of the land, and illegal encroachments continue to block development. An AUDA official, speaking anonymously, explained that during TP scheme drafting, a standard 40% land deduction was applied even to government lands—including ponds, wastelands, and grazing lands. This often resulted in merged or reshaped water body plots, inadvertently reducing the functional area of ponds. An AMC official clarified that, as per state government directives, no reduction or reshaping of pond land is allowed in TP schemes. "However, AUDA's earlier TP drafts did reduce and reshape pond areas. In finalized schemes where this has already occurred, no further changes can be made," the official said. Authorities now claim that new TP schemes comply with the no-reduction policy, but past decisions continue to pose legal and environmental challenges, with encroachments and disputes delaying the conservation and development of critical urban water bodies. Head: Status City Lakes (area in sq m) Name Original Area Final Area Thaltej Lake 1,54,692 1,42,642 Vastrapur Lake 73,957 51,761 Memnagar Lake 75,373 53,924 Bopal Lake 46,438 44,432 Charodi Lake 42,593 40,271
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
17 shops auctioned by AUDA fetch over double the base price
Ahmedabad: In a windfall for the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA), 17 shops put up for auction were sold for a total of Rs 10.78 crore — more than double the base price of Rs 4.62 crore. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The auction, held on June 26 and 27, included 12 shops from the Zundal Urban Poor Housing Scheme and five shops from the Motera-Koteshwar Urban Poor Housing Scheme. The base price for the shops ranged from Rs 16 lakh to Rs 33 lakh. The five shops in the Motera-Koteshwar scheme, initially priced at Rs 16–17 lakh each, were sold at significantly higher rates between Rs 48 lakh and Rs 58 lakh — fetching 186% to 228% more than the base value. Similarly, the 12 Zundal scheme shops with a base price of Rs 29–33 lakh each went under the hammer for Rs 61–79 lakh apiece, achieving returns of 97% to 136% above the reserve price. AUDA officials said the final decision on allotting these shops to successful bidders will be taken in the upcoming board meeting.
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Urban House' proposal to be presented for approval before AMC panel
Ahmedabad: A proposal has been moved before the Standing Committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to construct a 10-storey building, 'Urban House', near Law Garden in the Navrangpura area. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The building will accommodate various municipal offices, including City Planning, Town Planning, and Town Development departments, along with state govt offices. The project, planned on a 5,304 sq m plot, requires approval for a Rs 96 crore tender to build the 10-storey structure. The proposal will be taken up for approval during the Standing Committee meeting on June 5. The site formerly housed the office of AMC's chief city planner, which was later demolished. In 2020, the plot became a parking area for over 50 food vans, resulting in a controversy. The authorities have now finalised plans for an 'Urban House' at this site. According to sources, the AMC initially planned this building near Law Garden, opposite the Ellisbridge Police Line, six years ago. Despite budgetary allocations, the project remained dormant. In May 2024, plans emerged for a 7-storey structure under a PPP model, which was later revised to a 10-storey building. Sources revealed that AUDA sanctioned a 16-storey AUDA House opposite Zydus Hospital on SG Highway, with an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore. This building will house state govt offices and a newly established company. Experts suggest that a joint building project between the AMC and AUDA could result in substantial cost savings, as both structures would serve similar administrative purposes and simplify procedures for builders and developers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The AMC has incorporated office space for consultant-cum-registrar engineers in the 'Urban House'. This arrangement will accommodate private engineers and consultants involved in plan passing and city planning activities, marking the first such provision by the municipal corporation.
